Killer Looks by Gemma Halliday

Author:Gemma Halliday
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: romantic comedy, high school romance, teen romance, young adult mystery, teen mystery, clean and wholesome romance
Publisher: Gemma Halliday

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The next morning, true to her word, Mom cornered me before school, giving me a lecture on leaving the house after dark as she virtually force-fed me a plate of vegan bacon and I-can't-believe-it's-not-eggs.

And, as if the SMother wasn't enough, by the time the first period bell rang, I'd gotten two dozen texts asking if it was true that a) Nicky was attacked in front of me (yes!), b) I'd gotten Nicky attacked (no!), and c) there would be a Sydney tribute before the Homecoming Game (which I'm pretty sure was sent to me by mistake, since Ashley was on the Homecoming beat.)

By lunch, everyone had heard the news about Nicky, but there was one person who I knew would have the real deets. The instant I reached the cafeteria, I zeroed in on Drea Barlow, taking her tray of Tuesday Tacos to a table near the back.

"Drea," I called, hailing her as I approached.

She looked up. Then shot me a death look. "You!" she yelled, pointing one finger my way.

I stopped dead in my tracks.

"Uh, me?"

"Because of you and your nosiness, Nicky's in the hospital."

To be perfectly honest, it was more because of Nicky's not-so-kosher side business, but I decided now was not the time to point that out.

"Is he going to be okay?" I asked instead.

She sat down and popped the top on her chocolate milk. "Maybe. He has a skull fracture. And a concussion."

I cringed. "That sounds bad."

She nodded, her eyes turning red with the effort not to cry and ruin her mascara. "It is. He was unconscious for a long time, and now they're keeping him in the hospital for observation. And I can't even see him," she said, a sob escaping.

"I'm sorry," I said, putting a hand on her arm. "Listen, Nicky was at the park last night because he had something to tell me. About something he saw at Sydney's house before she died. Did he say anything to you about it?"

Drea shrugged. "He said he was going to meet you, but he didn't say why."

"He didn't talk about anything he'd seen that day? Mention anyone?"

But Drea just shook her head. "I didn't even know he'd been there. I thought he was home with a cold all day."

I tried another angle. "Drea, did he ever tell you where he was getting the test answers he was selling?"

She shook her head. "No. He said he couldn't. He didn't want to get me in trouble in case he ever got caught. He was protecting me," she said, breaking down in a sob again.

"Have you talked to Nicky since the attack?"

She nodded. "Once. But he's not supposed to be on the phone very long. He needs to rest."

"What did he say? Who attacked him?"

She shrugged. "He didn't tell me."

"Did he tell the police?" I asked, hoping he'd at least been smart enough to do that.

But Drea just shrugged. "I dunno."

I pursed my lips together. "Look, Drea, this is a matter of life and death," I told her, not being entirely overdramatic.

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